My oldest also, just received her First Penance on March 6th. She was not nervous, and did great. She asked the priest to bless her Baptismal rosary after she was given absolution, because I had told her that St. Therese did that in her first confession. It was sweet. We celebrated by our family and her Godmother, Godfather and cousins(one of which ALSO made her First Penance, yay McKayla!!) going out for a nice lunch. The next day, Anna got her ears pierced. What a milestone. She has been waiting so long...well 7 years...hahah. We told her she could do it for her First Holy Communion, and as her big day is April 17th, we went ahead and got it done. She was so excited, shed a few tears after the guns went off, but enjoyed it overall.
I also ordered 2 Holy Communion Dresses for her to try on. We went to JCpenneys but everything was so picked over, I thought the selection was better online. The first one came, and while beautiful, was too big, and not as pictured, so we are trying again. It is such a special time for her, and us!
OHHHH....how COULD I forget?????? It is shocking really...Brian and I went to Puerto Rico(we were there for 3 days as a end cap to our honeymoon too)!!!! It was such a getaway. We had a wonderfully fabulous time...I filled up on Mofongo(a Plantain dish) like 652 times. I LOVE that stuff, and I will most definitely crave it if and when I get pregnant!!! I probably gained bout that much weight too. LOL. We were afraid we would not get out as there was a BLIZZARD yes, a BLIZZARD the day before our flight was scheduled. I was seriously freaking out. I mean, how often do parents of 4 sucker someone into watching the kids for 4 days and go off to some tropical paradise?? Not often if you are me....SOOO I even went out to shovel but seriously, 2 minutes after I would shovel, there were 2 more inches of snow....it was REALLY falling that hard and fast. I think we ended up with like 22+ inches, on top of the 14 that had already fallen 5 days before. Brian shoveled for almost 6 hours that Wed. But, it was a good thing he did, because, at a bright 6:30am, we "shoved off" for the airport, and miracle of miracles, the airport got its crap together and got our flight off--a few hours late. Anyway, it was heavenly. We were so blessed to be able to go. We actually met a great Catholic couple while on vacation...yes, for those who know us, not so shocking. But it was a real blessing to know them. We met them on our first morning there...while going on our Adventure tour to do kayaking, hiking, and zip lining, in the rain forest. I LOVED it. I would do it again in a heartbeat! We also lounged around in hammocks, went in the ocean, ate breakfast at the seaside, walked around Old San Juan....which I LOVED TOO!!! So, yes, it was bliss being there!
On a not so blissful note, we came home to the stomach bug...blah! My poor MIL...she dealt with the 1st two being sick, and we dealt with the last two and us. YUCK. but thank God it was over quick!
Baby Girl has also started walking since last post. She was about 15 months when she started, and she is all over the place now. So busy all the time.
Homeschooling is going well...although, this warm(er) weather gives us a little Spring Fever. We just need to get OUTSIDE!! We are dealing better with getting schooling done earlier so we can enjoy more free time though.
In more food news, Brian and I started South Beach Diet almost 3 weeks ago now. I was told I should be on this diet for at least 3 months prior to getting pregnant(due to health reasons during my last pregnancy), and being as we do not know when God will so choose to bless us with a wee one, we though Lent would be a great starting point! The first two weeks, Phase one, were difficult, although not un-tasty. The food is good, it is just, one can get sick of eating, no, of seeing, salad. I mean, for two weeks, it seemed like "Oh honey, do want a salad with a side of Salad, and salad for dinner/lunch/breakfast(okay, not breakfast)." But truly, you do feel more healthy eating this way. I never ate so much vegetation in my entire life! So that part felt good, and can be quite tasty. But my brain wasn't always in it, so menu planning suffered. After those two weeks, (and more than 8 pounds later, I may add) we have entered Phase two...where you re-introduce healthy carbs..ie. Fruits and whole grains. That has been good. Anyway, I have a tea party at a tea house(one of my FAVORITE things to do) and it is MOST DEFINITELY NOT South Beach Diet Friendly...BUT, I think I could indulge without undoing all my "sacrifices" as the book says. So, I probably will, modestly at least. When I go on a "diet" I usually commit 100%, well at least 98%. So, I don't think I will backslide really by going to tea.
Well, seeing as I am rambling, I need to stop. But just wanted to blog about a little giveaway over at Modern Catholic Mom real quick....great site for getting inspired, seeing what is going on in the Catholic world and from a Catholic perspective. Check it out!
She is giving away Holy Baby DVDS and you can win them! Here is the link.
